Taking a bite into vampire culture
Drawing on his knowledge from his film studies, Brant Thompson has explored the realm of vampires and their unique role in cinema.
On the topic of vampires in cinema, Thompson clarified some of the major differences between vampires of early film projects to modern day.
“F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu is interesting. It seems like everything has gone full circle when you’re talking about film. Vampire movies usually have two elements. You see Nosferatu as the prim and proper gentleman. He welcomes people into his home, very articulate and when he turns into a vampire his fingernails grow and he becomes a creature of the night. Everywhere he goes he brings the plague with him, which is what they are alluding to.”
This traditional vampire dominated the cinema for a good chunk of the 20th century and became a staple movie monster amongst his compatriots Frankenstein, The Mummy and The Werewolf. This stayed static until the closing decade of the century.
“After that you see people wanted to branch out. You either had the prim and proper gentleman like Bela Legosi or some recent remakes like Gerard Butler in Dracula 2000. Then you have ‘90s where vampires branched off into creatures like in Blade where they’re these things that hide out in alleyways and suck people’s blood.”
By this point you had two very different monsters. One was a villainous gentleman and the other being a beast that shares the same bloodlust as a horde of zombies.
“We’ve come around now where they’re kind of trying to merge it back together where they’re a Count at one point and a creature at another,” said Thompson.
Though they share their similarities, vampires are distinct in nature. They take less careless actions and are not as easily duped as most monsters are. They are quite powerful in their ability to fly or shape shift but they are also flawed by nature.
“I remember reading a lot of stuff about there being a lot of crossover with werewolves. As far as vampires go, they try to set them apart as being leeches. It’s also a predator-prey thing where we are their food. They’re trying to put them as the ultimate human at the top of the food chain. Even then they have some severe weaknesses and they need us to survive.”
In a metaphorical sense, vampires can stand in for many things. As most horror goes, the fear of the unknown is often explored through these characters and creatures. They can also allude to other things as Thompson continues,
“In the ‘80s it was an interesting time. Vampires became a representation of the AIDS epidemic. When AIDS came in and blew up, vampires became a representation and their teeth for example would stand in for things like needles.”
Vampires are largely a Western world phenomenon though they also appear in other cultures. Anime (Japanese animation) has a romanticized fascination with these beings. Movies such as Vampire Hunter D produce vampiric characters that the audience feels sympathy with. Their hunger for blood is seen more as a tragic flaw rather than a tool of terror.
“In anime they’re seen as a beautiful woman or guy but when they become a vampire their clothes rip, face contorts, this massive jaw comes out with crazy teeth.”
So what spooks us about these creatures exactly? Is it their organized attacks on humans during the night or is it something more specific?
“We have a definite fear of stuff like needles. Someone piercing your neck with teeth is terrifying. Vampires are usually shown creeping into your bedroom at night when you’re most vulnerable. It’s also an infection aspect, they bite you and you become sick,” said Thompson.
“Even up to the ‘90s decade (where vampires became more beast than human), they have plans; they have set ideas on how they will come about their goal. They’re master strategists.”
The road for vampires in cinema has taken many different roads. Some vampiric elements seep into crime-drama fiction where notorious killers engage in vampire practices. Others will mix in science fiction or fantasy to create an intensive backstory to support the vampire creatures as a major influence on the plot. Though terrifying to some, bloodsuckers have also been the subject of parody that overlaps with the comedy genre.
“The big comedy ones are Abbot and Costello meets Frankenstein. Dracula is kind of the leader and the brains of the operation,” Thompson said.
And as time goes on, our fascination with vampires still exists. An offshoot of Goth subculture produced people that follow the vampire lifestyle (with strict outlines of what is acceptable of course). We will occasionally see people engage in LARPing (Live Action Roleplaying) once in awhile under the fictional personalities from the ‘Vampire’ series of role-playing games. The novel series turned movie franchise, Twilight, showed that vampire fiction transcends, ages and can also be the subject of interest for people who aren’t typically into the horror genre.
“You definitely saw a resurgence with Twilight. The romanticized version has made a cyclical return to the suave vampire. It’s just been updated from wearing a cape to wearing Abercrombie and Fitch.”
On the topic of vampires in cinema, Thompson clarified some of the major differences between vampires of early film projects to modern day.
“F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu is interesting. It seems like everything has gone full circle when you’re talking about film. Vampire movies usually have two elements. You see Nosferatu as the prim and proper gentleman. He welcomes people into his home, very articulate and when he turns into a vampire his fingernails grow and he becomes a creature of the night. Everywhere he goes he brings the plague with him, which is what they are alluding to.”
This traditional vampire dominated the cinema for a good chunk of the 20th century and became a staple movie monster amongst his compatriots Frankenstein, The Mummy and The Werewolf. This stayed static until the closing decade of the century.
“After that you see people wanted to branch out. You either had the prim and proper gentleman like Bela Legosi or some recent remakes like Gerard Butler in Dracula 2000. Then you have ‘90s where vampires branched off into creatures like in Blade where they’re these things that hide out in alleyways and suck people’s blood.”
By this point you had two very different monsters. One was a villainous gentleman and the other being a beast that shares the same bloodlust as a horde of zombies.
“We’ve come around now where they’re kind of trying to merge it back together where they’re a Count at one point and a creature at another,” said Thompson.
Though they share their similarities, vampires are distinct in nature. They take less careless actions and are not as easily duped as most monsters are. They are quite powerful in their ability to fly or shape shift but they are also flawed by nature.
“I remember reading a lot of stuff about there being a lot of crossover with werewolves. As far as vampires go, they try to set them apart as being leeches. It’s also a predator-prey thing where we are their food. They’re trying to put them as the ultimate human at the top of the food chain. Even then they have some severe weaknesses and they need us to survive.”
In a metaphorical sense, vampires can stand in for many things. As most horror goes, the fear of the unknown is often explored through these characters and creatures. They can also allude to other things as Thompson continues,
“In the ‘80s it was an interesting time. Vampires became a representation of the AIDS epidemic. When AIDS came in and blew up, vampires became a representation and their teeth for example would stand in for things like needles.”
Vampires are largely a Western world phenomenon though they also appear in other cultures. Anime (Japanese animation) has a romanticized fascination with these beings. Movies such as Vampire Hunter D produce vampiric characters that the audience feels sympathy with. Their hunger for blood is seen more as a tragic flaw rather than a tool of terror.
“In anime they’re seen as a beautiful woman or guy but when they become a vampire their clothes rip, face contorts, this massive jaw comes out with crazy teeth.”
So what spooks us about these creatures exactly? Is it their organized attacks on humans during the night or is it something more specific?
“We have a definite fear of stuff like needles. Someone piercing your neck with teeth is terrifying. Vampires are usually shown creeping into your bedroom at night when you’re most vulnerable. It’s also an infection aspect, they bite you and you become sick,” said Thompson.
“Even up to the ‘90s decade (where vampires became more beast than human), they have plans; they have set ideas on how they will come about their goal. They’re master strategists.”
The road for vampires in cinema has taken many different roads. Some vampiric elements seep into crime-drama fiction where notorious killers engage in vampire practices. Others will mix in science fiction or fantasy to create an intensive backstory to support the vampire creatures as a major influence on the plot. Though terrifying to some, bloodsuckers have also been the subject of parody that overlaps with the comedy genre.
“The big comedy ones are Abbot and Costello meets Frankenstein. Dracula is kind of the leader and the brains of the operation,” Thompson said.
And as time goes on, our fascination with vampires still exists. An offshoot of Goth subculture produced people that follow the vampire lifestyle (with strict outlines of what is acceptable of course). We will occasionally see people engage in LARPing (Live Action Roleplaying) once in awhile under the fictional personalities from the ‘Vampire’ series of role-playing games. The novel series turned movie franchise, Twilight, showed that vampire fiction transcends, ages and can also be the subject of interest for people who aren’t typically into the horror genre.
“You definitely saw a resurgence with Twilight. The romanticized version has made a cyclical return to the suave vampire. It’s just been updated from wearing a cape to wearing Abercrombie and Fitch.”
